Outside Antennas / HOA's

[N9JIG]

Believe me I am not in favor of federal power but I am also certain the founders never thought any reasonable thinking person would allow their neighbors to decide what I can do with my property.

The current legislation as written isn't perfect by any stretch but individual liberty and property rights should come first.

That really isn't the issue though. If you live in an HOA then you voluntarily agreed to allow the HOA to dictate to some extent what can be done on your property. It isn't really a constitutional or a founders issue, it is contract law. If you sign a contract in good faith that limits what you can do, and in return you are protected from others doing things on their property that may affect you and yours then the federal government (as well as local and state) has no business interfering.

If you disagree with the HOA rules or decisions you have redress. This includes things like selling and moving, getting elected to the HOA board and changing the rule or disobeying the rule and accept the consequences.

For many people HOA's are an acceptable or desirable solution. They help protect property values, protect against eyesores and to provide services and facilities.

Now, all this being said, if the Ham Radio Parity Act (or whatever it is called) passes and allows me to have external antennas I am certainly going to avail myself of that!

 

[AE7BF]

No disagreement with regard to willfully signing a contract other than I am sure there are many cases where people have come to the hobby later in life and didn't think HOA restrictions were a problem when a home was purchased before.

 

[N9JIG]

No disagreement with regard to willfully signing a contract other than I am sure there are many cases where people have come to the hobby later in life and didn't think HOA restrictions were a problem when a home was purchased before.

Yeah, that's the rub. Kind of like if I wanted to start raising livestock in my yard or something after buying a house in an HOA.

Kind of reminds me of a village council meeting I attended regarding train noise. A guy complained about the noise as his house was right along the tracks. I asked him how long he lived there before they put in the tracks. He answered that the tracks were there when he moved in before he realized I set him up.

 

[AK9R]

Now, all this being said, if the Ham Radio Parity Act (or whatever it is called) passes and allows me to have external antennas I am certainly going to avail myself of that!

Just understand that the act does not give you carte blanche to do what you want with regard to antennas. The act requires that the HOA has to "reasonably accomodate" amateur radio antennas. The HOA will still be able to have rules restricting your antennas and you will still have to get prior approval prior to putting up any outdoor antennas. Specifically, community associations will still be able to "establish reasonable written rules concerning height, location, size, and aesthetic impact of, and installation requirements" of your antennas.

 

[lmrtek]

I for one would never live anywhere that has an HOA

Telling me what I can or can't do or can or can't build then extorting money from sounds a little too much like communism to me

especially if I lived there well before these chemlawn liberals moved In

 

[ChrisABQ]

I live in a gated community with an HOA, I have a fence around my patio and have a 40" discone sitting atop my fence on a 2 foot mast. It was a gray area subject and I DID get it approved by the Board of Directors. It is possible to get things like this approved as long as it's not an eye sore.